[dburn]

Phil, on Apr 25 2010, 11:58 PM, said:

dburn, on Apr 25 2010, 08:04 PM, said:

♠J103  ♥J10765  ♦K  ♣K1084

You pass at unfavourable vulnerability, LHO passes, partner opens 1♥ (in principle five, but may be four in third seat), RHO doubles. What call do you make? (2NT sound raise; any number of hearts pre-emptive raise; 3♣ clubs and hearts; no other artificial calls available).

I can't improvise with 3N and expect partner not to understand? If not, then 4♥.

I didn't think Meckwell used OS by the book, but they did have some similar method but I do not know what it is specifically.

I'm guessing Dburn is having us lead the ♥J against 4♠ and we have to work out the switch based on pard's card.

I suppose you can try 3NT - partner is Zia, though, so if he doesn't understand it will be your fault, and if he does he will tell you that you don't have the bid anyway.

I bid 2NT and it went 3♠-Pass-Pass, so now I bid 4♥ and it went Pass-Pass-4♠-Pass-Pass-Double-all pass. Zia leads ♥A (he would lead this from ♥AK and in the absence of special considerations, you would be expected to signal attitude) and you can see:

Scoring: IMP

---

What card do you play to trick 1 in your preferred methods?

[Codo]

Lets see:

1. I play a low heart showing that I control the clubs. With this information even a lesser player like your partner at that time can figure out how to defend. Unluckily your evil opps see the mark too and play a low club from the table towards his Qx instead of finessing- making ten tricks. I am guilty.

2. I play a high heart. Declarer figures out that I have the king of diamond and finds my singelton king. I am guilty.

3. I play the Jack of heart to show the ten. Partner - not knowing that I have 5 hearts, continues the suit for a ruff and discard. I am guilty.

4. I give the right length mark, partner plays a neutral card and we defend 4 Spade doubled. I am the hero.


I had shown my clubs. Unluckily Zia does not play with me anymore- he hates OS:

[Free]

My options:
♥J asks to switch to ♣
♥7 asks to stop playing ♥ and switch to ♦
♥5 asks to continue the suit

At first sight I think I'd play ♥J.

[akhare]

mikeh, on Apr 27 2010, 05:54 PM, said:

But there is more. Often, declarer will win the opening lead in dummy or in hand, and now partner can, unless count or trying to win the trick is important, give suit preference at trick 2: thus if we encourage at trick one and discourage the original lead suit at trick 2, we have conveyed a lot of useful info.

What method is used to discourage the original lead after having encouraged at T1?

Is it (reverse) Smith Echo?

[Gerben42]

I really like obvious shift, although I know of some top players who swear they need only 99% count and the rare suit preference signal. I realize that I am not good enough since when I play this way, I'm lost on so many hands and have to make a guess what to do.

As OS changes to Lavinthal with a singleton on the table, I will play ♥7 which is a suit preference for ♦ but could just mean I have nothing in ♣. Playing ♥J will order a ♦ and I fear declarer will smell the rat.

[kfay]

Here was a nice success my partner and I had playing obvious shift last night.

You hold:

1097 J53 void K10987xx

You pass 1st chair and LHO opens 1S all red at MPs

P-(1♠)-1N-(P)
3♣*-(3♠)-P-(P) *to play
SMASH!!

Partner leads the heart QUEEN! and dummy is something like xx xxxx J10xxx Ax

Well... 5 would ask for a club shift, and low would ask for a continuation (or, at least, not clubs) so you play the Jack (asking a shift to the non-obvious suit), partner shifts to a diamond, ruff, heart back to the king, diamond ruff, heart back to the ace, diamond ruff and the ace of spades.

800 was a tad more than was necessary for a top.